Ashe's Rant Corner!

Hello my dear reader-sama tachi!

Thank you so much to all those who read and reviewed the story :)

I have revised the summary a bit (coz I think it sucked haha) and changed the filters to this story. Yes my friends this is an Ichihime fanfic, a dark one though.

Just a little note, I will not be writing the translations for the Japanese terms that I will be using, instead, I will already give the meaning as we go through the story.

On with the story then~

ピンクの薔薇

(PINKU NO BARA)

PINK ROSES

"You have been sold to this Okiya. Okaa-san owns you now"

Everything went by like a blur. There was no time for me to lament over my fate. Ikumi-san made sure of that. The dawn after I was brought to the Okiya, she shook me awake and dragged me down to the bathhouse across the backyard. She looked down at my clothes scornfully before she stripped the 'rags', as she so called my robes, off me.

"How can a girl be so filthy?" she scrunched her nose as she scrubbed my arms raw. "Didn't your mother ever tell you that girls should always be clean and should always smell nice?" she complained, rubbing the soap all over my hair.

I contemplated on Ikumi-san's words. Should I tell her that the only thing my mother taught me was a short lullaby? Or that I should only speak when spoken to? I settled for a simple "She didn't" in a small voice.

Suddenly, Ikumi-san's relentless scrubbing slowed down, her touch not as heavy as before. "Well she should have" was all she said before pouring a whole bucket of water over me, rinsing the suds from my hair and body. I coughed and shivered when the early morning air hit my naked body. But then a huge towel was draped over me. She began drying my body, patting the towel up and down my arms and torso. She was scowling as she did so, maybe because I was so thin my ribs were jutting out or because having to bathe a dirty little girl was a troublesome task.

When Ikumi-san sati in front of me, I moved the cloth away from my face to peer at the older woman's face. She was a pretty lady, maybe as pretty as my own mother. But then again, I could barely remember her face and so I cannot really tell now. Her hair looked soft for black tendrils fell from the ponytail that held her hair from behind her nape, framing her pale face. Her expression was always so hard, and she projected herself to be strict but as I look into her eyes, I see the exact opposite. Flickering behind her cinnamon colored orbs was a tenderness in the way she looked at me. And in all the years that I would spend in the Okiya, I would see it in the way she looked at all the girls that were under her care. I knew for a fact that she was kinder than she let on.

When she noticed that I was gawking at her, her actions came to a halt. Fearing that I have disrespected her for staring, I immediately bowed my head, avoiding her gaze. "What is your name girl?" she asked in her austere voice.

"Orihime" I mumbled. Almost instantly, Ikumi-san grasped my chin rather forcefully but not hard enough to hurt, "Look at me when I am talking to you" she practically hissed.

"O-Orihime, ma-ma'am" I managed to say but I heard my voice quiver. Ikumi-san let go of me and I sucked in a large amount of air to keep myself from crying.

"Oba-san"

I whipped my eyes towards her with puzzlement. "You call me 'Oba-san'" she said as she finished drying my hair. "And the woman you met yesterday, you call her 'Okaa-san', clear?" she said, looking down at me expectantly.

"Hai" I nodded

She raised a brow at me and scowled, "'Hai' what?"

"Hai, Oba-san" I immediately corrected myself, voice louder and clearer than before. Ikumi-san bobbed her head in approval then stood to retrieve something.

I looked around and took in the bathhouse. Thinking back now, the bathhouse was nothing extravagant. Just a small room made of wood where the residents of the Okiya bathed. But to a girl who was from a small village far from the city, it was absolutely lovely. Of course I didn't have anything to compare it with since that was the first time I've seen one. We didn't have bathhouses in Fugai, not even a public bathhouse. Everyone just washed in the river or sometimes in the sea. Maybe that's why we all smelt like the sea.

The room had a citrus fragrance to it, and it was so strong too. I sniffed the air more, hoping to find out where the marvelous smell was coming from. It was as though it surrounded me. I looked around, maybe the soap was emanating that wonderful scent. I whipped my head and as I did so, damp auburn strands stuck to my face. My eyes widened. The fragrance was coming from my hair!

I took my hair in my hand and held it close to my nose. It really was my hair! Oh I had never thought my hair could smell so fragrant. I sniffed at my skin and armpits. My armpits smelt good too!

"What on earth are you doing?" Ikumi-san's stern voice echoed throughout the bathhouse, giving me a start, making me drop the towel she had wrapped around my shoulders.

She shook her head and muttered something under her breath about odd village girls. As she neared me, I noticed a peach yukata she was holding. Was that for me? I gaped at the fabric as it slid across my skin as Ikumi-san put it on me. It wasn't made of silk like the kimono the Geisha I met last night wore but it was soft unlike the course fabric the people of Fugai were so used to. This was the most elegant clothes I've worn in the 9 years that I've been alive. Oh Onii-chan would love this?

Onii-chan.

The thought of my beloved brother and my situation came flooding back and the delight I felt was immediately thrown out the window. Onii-chan might never see me in this pretty yukata. I thought glumly.

"Here" Ikumi-san handed me over a pair of small white cloths. I took it and furrowed my brows at it. What was I supposed to do with it? I heard the woman before me huff and she yanked it back. "These are tabi socks" she explained in an exasperated tone as she put them on my feet. "We wear them because it is highly inappropriate to show our naked feet, got it?"

I absorbed every word Ikumi-san replied, "Hai, Oba-san"

"Good" she just said. She then laid a pair of geta near my feet. "Like Urahara-san's!" I gush out. The same wooden clogs, only, the teeth at the bottom of the plank are shorter.

"We call those geta, and we wear them outside" she informed me. Ikumi-san moved behind me and quickly braided my hair starting from the base of my nape until past my shoulders where it hung damp. When she finished with my hair, she grabbed my wrist and led me back into the house. "Before you enter Okaa-san's room, you bow. Before you enter anyone's room, you bow. Never speak unless she asks you to speak and you do not gawk at her like you are doing with me right now" she instructed me as we went through the hallway towards Mother's room.

Ikumi-san yanked me down to sit by her beside the rice paper door. "Aneue" she called out.

Again, there was only a gruff "Hmph" that signaled for us to enter. Ikumi-san slid the door open and bowed before she entered. I mimic her and followed suit. "I have brought her" Ikumi-san announced in a toned down and solemn voice.

Through lowered lashes, I watched Mother puff out a large cloud of smoke, eying my small form. As her eyes set on me, I immediately averted my gaze. Don't look at her directly when she's not talking to you. I reminded myself.

"Good. Good" Mother's voice was not as harsh as it was last night. "She looks better now that she's clean" a low chuckle rumbled from her.

"Her name is Orihime, Aneue" Ikumi-san told her sister.

"Orihime huh?" Mother regarded her, who only nodded. She turned to me and I snap my eyes towards her. "Your name already sounds like a geisha's" she said.

She took her time, scanning my face before she leaned forward. "This Okiya is your home now, Orihime, your life belongs to this establishment. Listen well and follow everything I and Ikumi say" she gestures to Oba-san who was seated a foot behind me (that was the day I learned Oba-san's name was Ikumi), "and you will have no trouble and might even enjoy it here in the Okiya"

I had no plans on staying in this Okiya though. Last night, I had decided that I would leave this place as soon as I find my Onii-chan. But I bowed my head at Mother and dutifully responded "Hai, Okaa-san" as I was taught. Mother just hummed her approval and shooed me out of her room.

I was then led into the kitchen where 5 girls, most of them older than me, were all dressed in the same peach yukata that I wore and were bustling around, preparing breakfast. "Momo" Ikumi-san called for one of the older girls. A slim young girl with big brown eyes approached us. Her black hair was tied behind her head in a neat bun with a cloth covering it.

"This is Orihime" Ikumi-san nudged me forward, "she's new and I want you to guide her through the rules and chores here" she said to this Momo-san.

As she was telling Momo-san what I chores I must do, I spotted Senna-chan by a corner, she was peeling potatoes with another girl who was maybe older than Momo-san. She averted her attention to me and smiled brightly. Naturally, I beamed back and offered a timid wave.

"Orihime!" Ikumi-san snapped at me, making me jump. "Pay attention child!" she scolded.

It would occur to me later that despite Ikumi-san constantly berating us, she would stand as a mother to all of us, far more than the woman this household called 'Okaa-san'.

"This is Momo, she will tell you what to do. If you have questions, you ask her or any of the other girls. Do not act on your own accord, understood?" she looked down at me and her eyes told me that she expected much from me.

"Hai, Oba-san"

"Now go on", she gave me a slight pat on the bum. "Just because you are the youngest here doesn't mean we will expect less from you. Everybody is required to work here" she said before walking out of the kitchen.

There was a light tap on my shoulder and when I turned on my heel I found Momo-san waiting for me patiently. "Nice to meet you Orihime-chan" she smiled, a gentle light in her eyes, "Come, I'll show what you can do here in the kitchen." It was nice to hear Momo-san's gentle voice, completely different from the imposing tone of Okaa-san or Oba-san's haranguing. She led me to the counter where Senna-chan and the older girl were working.

"We'll help Senna-chan and Nemu-chan peel vegetables" she handed me a knife and a potato. "Do you know how to peel potatoes?" she inquired. I bobbed my head in affirmation, "Hai, Momo-san"

A fluttering giggle filled my ears and Momo-san touched my head affectionately. "Oh you just call me Momo-neechan, okay?" she laughed. "You call the older girls here onee-san" she gestured to the girl standing next to Senna-chan, "Like Nemu here".

This Nemu-san or Nemu-oneechan as Momo- oneechan asked me to call her, was taller, with a long braid behind her back. Her straight bangs almost covered her eyes and only through the small part in the middle was I able to see her greenish black eyes. She did not smile at me, just merely glanced at me before going back to her task.

"Tell me, Orihime-chan, how old are you?"

"Nine" I did my best to reply while simultaneously peeling the potato skin without scraping off mine.

"A lot older than I when I first came here" Momo-oneechan commented. She would, a few days later, tell me that she and Nemu-oneechan were fifteen years old and have been in the Okiya for as long as they could remember.

"Where are you from?"

"Fugai-"

"Hah!" came a scornful laugh from the girl who stood by the sink preparing the meat. "No wonder! We're preparing meat and yet the whole kitchen smells of fish!"

My face flushed at the remark. And here I thought I smelt good because Ikumi-san had just given me a bath and made my hair smell like lemons. "Stop it Loly!" Momo-oneechan frowned at the slim girl, "why do you always have to be mean to the new girls?"

Loly-san, was a plain looking girl with medium length black hair in two tails at the sides of her head and brown eyes with pinkish red flecks in them. To be perfectly honest, she looked like a typical teenager, not a girl who was training to become a beautiful entertainer. And in the world of the Geisha, having features that are much too mediocre is somewhat of a disadvantage. It would become clear to me as I grew older that Loly-san's unpleasant attitude and ill-temper was a result of her insecurity of being quite ordinary compared with many of the girls aiming to become a Geisha.

"I'm just telling the truth, Momo" Loly-san spat back. "And who are you to tell me to stop?" she said between gritted teeth, pointing a knife threateningly at our direction.

"Yeah!" a second girl, one who was tending to the rice, seconded. "Who gave you the right to tell her to stop?" she whirled around to pout at Momo-oneechan, her hands on her hips. "That's my job because I'm the leader!"

"That's bullshit!" Loly-san growled and I cringed at the cuss word, "who the hell made you 'leader', Bambietta?"

Bambietta-san, affectionately called 'Bambi-san', was easily the prettiest of the four older girls with eyes of midnight blue and a face similar to a doll's. But contrary to her appearance, Bambi-san was quite a scary person, almost like a bomb because she had a temper worse than Loly-san's and more destructive. But she was a rather nonchalant when she was in a good mood.

They argued more and for a moment, I was afraid they would start to hurt each other. And then Nemu oneechan spoke, her voice cutting through their heated debate. "A little louder and you will wake Shutara-san" came her flat voice.

The two girls immediately quieted down. Loly-san mumbled something before turning her back on Bambi-san and returning to tending to the meat. I was at a loss. Who was this Shutara-san and why did she seem to have an authoritative hold on the onee-sans?

"Shutara-san is this Okiya's senior geisha" Momo oneechan said. She seemed to have seen the confusion on my face. "She is also one of the most famous geisha in this hanamachi. She's the reason we can eat good food and have kimono on our backs" she explained.

"The one you met last night" Senna-chan added.

"Oh" I breathed out, remembering the woman who looked like an empress in my guileless eyes. The lady who was, to me, the epitome of beauty and elegance.

As we prepared breakfast, Momo-oneechan explained that the first stage of geisha training is shikomi, and that was what we were, servants. And when we turn 15, an older geisha will take us in as her apprentice, and we will be promoted to a minarai. Then, our Onee-san will take us to her engagements and allow us to watch her and learn the ways of a geisha.

"And then we become Geisha?" I asked, cocking my head at Momo-oneechan.

She giggled, "Not yet. We have to become maiko first. But to become a maiko, we have to learn how to dance and sing and play the shamisen"

"That's why we have to go to geisha school" Senna-chan interjected enthusiastically. "I go to school and I'm sure Okaa-san will send you to school too" she was practically jumping up and down from excitement.

"Hai hai" Bambi-san interrupted, and held her hand out to me. I stared at her and she motioned for me to give her one of the bowls. I do so and she started to speak. "If you're a good dancer and a lot of clients like you, you'll become popular fast". When she finished filling the bowl with soup, I hurriedly pass her another one. "There is this one geisha, Retsu-san, she used to be a geisha in this Okiya but she became so popular so fast that she was able to buy her freedom back"

All this talk of going to school, learning how to dance, becoming geisha and most of all freedom thrilled me to the point where I felt my skin prickle and the hairs on my nape stand. I imagined myself in an elegant kimono, hair done up and adorned with glittering ornaments, my face painted to look like a doll's. And I would walk around the hanamachi, so gracefully that I almost look like I was floating. But then I remembered my Onii-chan.

I will not become geisha because I would leave this Okiya with my brother.

"Orihime-chan" Momo-oneechan called out to me, prompting me to stay alert. We were to deliver breakfast to the older ladies of the household and she handed me two trays on top of one another. I scrambled to keep them balanced. She gave two more trays to Senna-chan and then lifted four trays effortlessly. She led us through the house as though she had been doing this all her life. And it made me think that maybe she had. We padded through the hallways and stopped right in front of the large tatami room that was our dining hall.

Momo-oneechan and Senna-chan put the trays down and I do the same. They knelt before the sliding door and Senna-chan had to pull me down to prompt me to kneel as well. "Excuse us, Okaa-san, we will be serving breakfast now" Momo-oneechan announced in a clear and polite tone.

"Bout time, come in"

She slid the door open and we bowed quickly, taking the trays with us as we stood. Momo-oneechan moved to serve Okaa-san who was seated at the head, Ikumi-san who was to her left and a dark skinned woman sat to her right. Senna-chan and I, carefully place the trays in front of the four geisha present as well.

I discretely study their faces. The first woman I notice had straight black hair that was pinned back neatly, with her bangs tucked carefully behind her right ear, her spectacles resting just on her nose bridge. Next to her, was a woman who looked almost identical because she too wore glasses, only hers were red rimmed. She had longer hair though, tied away from her face in a long braid. From the corner of my eye, I watch the geisha Senna-chan was tending to. She had gloriously long black hair that looked a little olive with how the sunlight illuminated the room that touched the floor as she sat. When I looked to her she was already scrutinizing me and she lifted her sleeve to cover the smirk that curled on her thin lips.

The next woman had me a little confused. She was smiling at Senna-chan and conversing with her jovially. She had straight hair just like the woman who smirked at me but not as long and had two strands standing up, making them look like antennae. But as I examined her further, I realized that her rather dopey eyes were cold despite her seemingly sunny disposition. It scared me quite a bit.

"So this is your new girl" an unfamiliar voice started. I turned to look at the person who spoke. It was the dark skinned woman. I was astonished by her eyes. So light they looked almost gold, like that of a feline's. Her deep purple hair was tied back into a long pony tail and she only looked more like a fierce cat because of it. "C'mere" she ordered me and I scrambled to sit by her side.

"Name's Orhime. Fishing village girl" Mother said rather callously.

The woman scanned my face so intensely that I felt my cheeks burn. "You're a pretty girl, aren't ya?" she said, grinning widely. "You'll make a good geisha" she patted my head fondly. I beamed at her and bowed to show my gratitude before taking my leave, trotting just behind Momo-oneechan.

"Don't tell her that, Yoruichi" Mother griped, "Her head'll become big and she will think she can do anything she wants. Look at what happened to Shutara"

"Complimenting a child is not a crime Kuukaku" the woman brushed Mother's words off, "besides, Shutara is your fault"

I didn't hear the rest of the conversation because as soon as the doors were slid closed, Senna-chan pulled me to the side where she and Momo-oneechan were crouched and peeping through a small hole on the rice paper screen. "Look Orihime-chan" Senna-chan scooted away to give me space to peak.

"Momo-oneechan" I called in a soft voice, "who was that woman?"

"That is Yoruichi-san, she is Okaa-san and Oba-san's half sister. She owns the teahouse beside the Okiya. Most of our geisha are often there" In the years to come, she would hold the debut of many apprentice geisha in her teahouse, including mine.

"The women with spectacles are Nanao-san and Lisa-san. Lisa-san is the one with red rims" Momo-oneechan said, "They are sisters, Lisa-san is older". Ah so that was why they looked alike.

"The one with the long olive hair is Sun-Sung-san" the older girl continued, "She likes to tease and is a little snobbish so don't bother her too much". My eyes move to the last geisha, the one who frightened me a bit. "And lastly, Giselle-san." Her name didn't sound Japanese and I momentarily wondered why. "She looks friendly – and she is- but she's rather unpredictable so it's best if you avoid her because she's-"

"Aren't you a gossiping bunch" a frosty voice cut in, startling us. I look up and it was Shutara-san, looking down at us half with amusement and the rest with disdain.

"Forgive us, Shutara-san" Momo-oneechan instinctively bowed, Senna-chan too. I, on the other hand, was too enraptured by her presence that I simply gaped at her. I was only snapped out of my stupor when Senna-chan gripped the sleeve of my yukata and tugged on it.

I bowed, my forehead touching the floor. I heard the rustling of fabric and felt the wood beneath me creak. With two slim fingers, I was forced to look up. And I found myself face to face with the senior geisha of the house.

But as I lift my gaze to face her, her calm expression morphed into that of contempt. For a fraction of a minute, she looked like she had seen a ghost. Then as quickly as it came, she put on a collected countenance and scoffed. "So you're the new girl" she sneered, "The girl from the fishing village"

There was something disconcerting about the ways she looked down at me. I had only met her and yet, she spoke to me like an enemy, someone who was to be eliminated as soon as possible. "Giselle says you made quite a racket when you arrived" she grinned, her pearly teeth gleaming at me maliciously. "I don't mean to be rude, little girl, but no matter how many times they bathe you, you will always reek of fish" she then let go of my face with more force than needed. She turned to Momo-oneechan and barked "Move!" but before she entered the dining hall, she threw me one last glance, her eyes silently mocking. And then she was gone.

My chest felt heavy and I suddenly realized that I was heaving with anger. So what if I was from a fishing village? Was coming from Fugai a sin? Why was it that they scorned fishermen and anyone from fishing villages when the food they were now enjoying probably came from Fugai? And I was proud that I was a fisherman's sister. It was so unfair. So unfair.

But of course, I had not the time to dwell on that. There was still so much to do in the Okiya.

~.~.~.~

A week later, I was sent to geisha school with Senna-chan.

And I enjoyed school very much. My days were filled with learning dances, songs, playing the shamisen, calligraphy and everything that a geisha must be knowledgeable of. But of all the subjects we had, I loved poetry above all, especially Haiku. It never ceased and still continues to amaze me how words could have so much depth and meaning despite being limited to just three lines. I filled my young mind with words from Basho Matsuo, Yuso Buson, Issa Kobayashi and Murasaki Shibiku.

My teacher in literature, Ochi-sensei, seemed to have noticed my interest in prose and poetry and would often lend me books. Once, she gave me a book, so old that the cover had chipped off, leaving the title unreadable.

It was the story of a princess who had lived inside the Edo Castle all her life, never allowed to leave because her father feared that the outside world would taint her innocence. But the princess had wanted to explore outside of the walls she was confined in. Her lady-in-waiting had told her about the Man in the Moon who tied a red string that was invisible to humans around the smallest finger of every child before he or she was born into the world and that at the end of the red thread was that person's soulmate. The princess was so desperate to get out of the castle that she appealed to the Man in the Moon himself. The god pitied the girl and granted her wish. He allowed her to see her red string and find her destined person. But not without going through life threatening struggles of course. As a western poet had once said, "The course of true love never did run smooth".

Every night, when I was sure everyone in the Okiya was asleep, I would light a lamp and devour everything the book had to offer. I must have read it a thousand times and yet I still felt the same fluttering feeling in my stomach as the first time I opened that book. It was my first dose of romance and my first glimpse at love. And throughout the day, I would stare at my pinky finger wondering where that invisible thread led to and who I might find at the other end. And dreamt that one day, he would come for me and free me from the Okiya.

~.~.~

After a month had passed, I finally fell into a routine. Chores had become less of pain for me and I somehow had gotten used to my new environment. I had put on some weight as well much to Mother's satisfaction. She said that I no longer looked like an impoverished village girl, but one who had a bright future ahead of her.

By this time, Momo-oneechan and the rest of the older girls had begun their training as minarai. Leaving only I and Senna as the household servant girls.

One evening, on the same day that marked my first month in the Okiya, a loud commotion started at the front of the house. Senna-chan and I were doing the dishes but snuck a peak at what was happening. We arrived a little too late because the only thing we saw was Yoruichi-san dragging a small girl into the Okiya and straight into Mother's room.

Swiftly, Senna-chan and I ran through the hallway, towards the back of Mother's room where we found the older girls already listening in on what was happening inside. "A new girl" Momo-oneechan mouthed. She let us creep under her so that we could poke a hole into the rice paper door and to see.

As I peeked through, I saw the back of Mother's head, Yoruichi-san and a thin girl who looked thoroughly annoyed to be here.

"I just got a new girl Yoruichi" came Mother's complaint, "I don't need a scrawny street cat" she gestured to the dirty and ragged little girl persistently trying to get out of Yoruichi-san's hold.

"I don't need this girl either Kukkaku" the dark skinned woman replied. "She's payment for all the damage Yanagi caused last night but I already have enough hands in my teahouse."

Apparently, Yanagi-san had wrecked a whole room and broken about a dozen teacups from his drunken fit. And since he was only a fruit vendor, he took the street child who stole from his stall and used her to pay Yoruichi-san.

"I don't know" Mother said and from the tone of her voice, I could hear her grimace.

"Aww she worth something Kukkaku" Yoruichi-san yanked the poor girl forward and grasped her chin to make her face Mother. "Look at her!" she said. Indeed, the girl was beautiful despite her grimy appearance. She had skin pale like snow and big round violet eyes that held so much fire that I could almost feel it burn through my skin. Her hair was a choppy inky black that fell to her shoulders, a single strand defiantly falling over her face. She stared challengingly at Mother and if there is one thing Mother hated, that was insolence.

Of course, having keen eyes, Mother had already seen the rebelliousness in the girl and could already picture the migraines she would be causing. She shook her head and took a long drag from her pipe.

"It's either you take her in and I accept her as payment or I give her back to Yanagi and he sells her to the pleasure houses to pay for the damages" the sound of Yoruichi-san's voice cut through the silence like a knife.

The girl's eyes widened and I saw panic. At that time, I did not know what the pleasure houses were and the vile things that happened inside but I somehow got the hint. For if just the mention of the place could douse the fire in that girl's eyes with then it must be a horrible place.

I heard Mother grumble in thought then finally she let out a deep sigh, "Fine I will take her in" she said almost begrudgingly. "What's her name?"

"Well tell her your name girl" Yoruichi-san urged the girl, prodding her forward.

The girl glared at the older woman behind her and then set her violet eyes on Mother. She held her head high and boldly gazed Mother in the eyes. "My name is Rukia" she said in a rich voice that didn't quite suite her small stature.

I only saw Mother's head nod before she called Ikumi-san and asked her to bathe Rukia-san, the rest of the instructions, I no longer heard because the geisha of the Okiya had arrived and as shikomi, it was our duty to tend to them and help them get ready for bed when they arrived.

The first to arrive was Sun-Sung-san. She was fairly easy to attend to because all she wanted was for us to help her untie her obi and then brush her hair until it shone like polished lacquer. Plus, Sun-Sung-san didn't care for us much and so when everything was finished, she'd let us leave. Often times, Lisa-san and Nanao-san came home together. They helped each other get ready for bed and so the only thing Senna-chan and I were required to do was open the Okiya gates for them when they returned. About an hour or so, Giselle-san would stumble home. Giselle-san was the hardest person to wait on and yet the most fun, especially when she was not drunk. She would tell us stories of how a party went and share tips on what to do when we get into similar situations when we become geisha as well. But when she was drunk or in a bad mood, even the slightest mistake could anger her.

Once, I took the pins out of her hair to let it down and had accidentally poked her head with the pin. She turned to me, so furiously and so swiftly that I did not even see her grab the tea set Senna-chan had served her, and flung it at me. I was drenched, of course, but thankfully, the shards of the broken teacup and pot had not hurt me.

Shutara-san was the last to walk through the Okiya gates. Usually, she would come home at around 2 in the morning, the smell of alcohol and smoke wafting around her as she walked inside the Okiya. We were not allowed to sleep unless the last geisha had come back home. Shutara-san never let me help her get dressed for bed. I was not allowed to enter her room or even stand close to her. She said she did not like the way I smelled, though personally, I do not think I gave off a bad odor. And so it was always just Senna who waited on Shutara-san.

I would wait for Senna-chan to finish before I myself retired into the attic where we slept. I found it wrong to be able to rest when Senna-chan was still working.

After about half an hour, Senna-chan came out of Shutara-san's room looking a bit disturbed. "Is something wrong Senna-chan?" I asked. She turned to me, a perplexed look on her face. "Did something happen?" I inquired again but she just put her finger to her lips, grabbed my wrist and tugged me to follow her upstairs.

Once we've reached the door to the attic, Senna-chan spun on her heel to face me. "I'm worried about Shutara-san" she said in a grave tone.

"Why? Is she sick?"

She pulled me closer to her. "When I helped remove Shutara-san's make up, I saw a lot of big red bite marks all over her neck. Then when she undressed, the bite marks were all over her breasts too" she whispered.

My eyes widened. What could be causing those bite marks? Certainly, they could not be insect bites because Senna-chan cleaned Shutara-san's room twice a day, after she leaves and before she comes back. "Are they cockroach bites?" I wondered out loud.

Senna-chan shook her head, "I don't think so Orihime-chan because I have never seen cockroaches in Shutara-san's room. Besides, I've been bitten by one before but the bites were not as big as the ones Shutara-san had"

"It could be something dangerous" I said frantically, "we have to tell Oba-san!" I was about to rush down the stairs to Ikumi-san's room but Senna-chan grabbed me by the arm and pulled me back with so much force that I tumbled down to the floor.

"You can't!" she begged, hands tightening around my arm "If you tell Oba-san, she will tell Oka-san and Oka-san will beat me for not cleaning the room well"

"Wouldn't it be worse if Shutara-san told Oba-san herself? You would be in bigger trouble" I tried to reason with her.

I could see the panic in Senna-chan's eyes and I immediately knew that she was afraid but she just shook her head. "Still, you mustn't Orihime-chan" she pleaded again, "If Oba-san finds out she would beat me!"

I was fully convinced that telling Ikumi-san would be a better choice but since this was what Senna-chan wanted, I would keep my mouth closed and would not tell a soul. Later, that decision would lead to even worse consequences not only for Senna-chan but for me as well.

"Okay" I offered her weakly.

She responded with a small smile, silently thanking me. "Well let's rest now" she said as she pushed the door to the attic door open. But as she did so, a blanket came flying across the small room, hitting Senna-chan right in the face followed by a screeching "I don't want to be here!"

I instantly rushed over to my friend, who was clutching her face and sobbing from the impact. I looked over a stunned Senna-chan to see the source of the ruckus and right in the middle of the attic was a very angry raven haired girl. I recognized her as the girl Yoruichi-san brought in this evening, Rukia-chan, if I recall correctly.

She was a small and thin girl, much thinner than myself but she looked quite strong, judging from the mighty throw she just made. She seemed to have realized that she hurt Senna-chan more than she intended to because her violet eyes stared down at us rather apologetically and like she was caught off guard. "I – uh – um" she struggled to say, "I thought you were someone else"

By that time, Senna-chan had wiped the tears from her eyes and was now smiling brightly at Rukia-chan. "It's okay" she said in her sweet voice, "You didn't mean it, right?" This was the one of the things I loved about Senna-chan. She had such a sweet disposition and bright outlook on things. Negativity and anger never stayed long with this girl, such a forgiving person. "My name is Senna. And she's Orihime" she gestured to me.

Almost instantly, Senna-chan was in front of Rukia-chan, probing her and asking her questions. I chuckled at the sight of Rukia-chan. She seemed more frightened of Senna-chan's incessant inquiries than baffled.

"I don't know! I don't want to be here!"

Silence engulfed our room and I was suddenly brought back to the night I first came to the Okiya a month ago. I remembered how utterly confused I was and how angry yet sad I was. I turned to Rukia-chan who seemed a little ashamed of how she shouted at us yet again. I stood up from where I was sitting and neared her. "It's okay" I said, doing my best to comfort her for I knew how forsaken she must be feeling, "We don't want to be here either"

I moved to gather out beddings from the rickety cabinet in the corner. Senna-chan got her futon as well. I took the initiative to lay a bed for the newcomer as well and set it up close to mine. "Well you should rest now, Rukia-chan, we have a busy day ahead of us" I patted the futon, urging her to come to the futon. But she just scowled at me and instead plopped on the floor and folded her arms over her chest.

"I do not want to be here and I won't accept anything from you" she hissed.

To be honest, I was a little offended because I was just trying to be kind but then again I understood where she was coming from. She had been torn from her family and thrown in a place that was totally different from what she was used to and so she was distrustful of us, just as I was suspicious of everyone else in the Okiya when I first came. "Okay" I said simply, "but when you get tired, this futon is for you" I bid her goodnight and I slipped into my own futon. Memories of the night my father gave us away flooding back as sleep took over me.

The next morning, I woke up to Rukia-chan sprawled on the floor, far from us.

Rukia-chan proved to be more stubborn than we believed. She resisted when Ikumi-san came in the morning to bathe her. She fought when she was ordered to have her clothes changed and she refused to do chores. She did not want to be part of the Okiya, she would often reiterate that and she never failed to show Mother and Ikumi-san just how much she hated being there.

But of course, Rukia-chan's defiance did not last very long. Mother did not tolerate disobedience and she often punished Rukia-chan for talking back and disrespecting her. At first, Rukia-chan put on a brave front, even looking Mother straight in the eye as she was beaten with a stick. But as the retributions became more frequent, Rukia-chan soon began complying.

As the days passed, she seemed to have a change of mind about staying in the Okiya. "I get to eat here" she once told me, "So I guess that's fine – even though they work my ass off"

But Mother liked Rukia-chan in spite of their frequent disputes. She said that despite being "hard headed and an idiot", the girl had guts and was hard working. True, enough, Rukia-chan was quick, resourceful and surprisingly strong. She had spunk and that was what Mother liked most about her.

But still, Rukia-chan distanced herself from us. She often clashed with Loly-san and did not mind the other mirainai. She would only talk to us to answer our questions but mostly they were vague and curt responses. Other than the fact that she was from Inuzuri, the slums at the far end of the hanamachi, we knew nothing about her.

Just like with me, Rukia-chan was sent to geisha school a week after her arrival.

~.~.~.~.~

One night, when the Okiya was in deep sleep, I lit our lamp and pulled the newest book Ochi-sensei had lent me. It was called Ochikubo Monogatari, The Tale of Lady Ochikubo. When Ochi-sensei gave me the book, she said "I think you will like her Orihime-chan because you are quite like her"

The words of the story were quite difficult and I was only learning to read kanji and could not understand deep words yet. But I wanted to read, I wanted to know why Ochi-sensei would identified me with her. I was so absorbed in my reading that I failed to notice Rukia-chan get up.

"What are you doing?"

I almost shrieked when she suddenly came from behind me, peering over my shoulder to look at the book I was reading. "Don't scare me like that Rukia-chan" I pouted.

She ignored my complaint and continued to assess the book. I handed it over to her but she just simply blinked at the writings. "What is it about?" she finally asked

"Why don't you read it?"

Violet eyes snapped sharply at me. She looked as though she took insult from what I had just told her. "I don't like reading" she said rather haughtily, "so you read it for me"

I took the book back and sighed. Sometimes Rukia-chan was really difficult to deal with but I was just glad that she was talking to me because she almost never did. "It's about a certain Lady Ochikubo" I began, "she was the daughter of a nobleman but her father did not love her . . ." I read her the story

In the middle of the story, Rukia-chan suddenly stood up and I had thought that she was going to bed for I had bored her out of her wits with Lady Ochikubo, but I was surprised when she came back, dragging her futon with her.

You see, although Rukia-chan began using her futon, she still slept far from Senna-chan and I. Like I said, she liked to keep to herself. She let herself fall onto the futon unceremoniously and she sat cross legged facing me. She draped her blanket over her shoulders and wrapped it around herself. "Well, go on" she encouraged, her piercing violet eyes staring at me expectantly.

Lady Ochikubo's story would be something akin to the European Cinderella. She was the daughter of a Councilor but the father did not love her. As I was reading this, the face of my own father came tom mind and the image of him giving us away to be sold. The way his face held no remorse or regret whatsoever, it made me shudder. Anyway, Lady Ochikubo had a stepmother who loved to torment her even though Ochikubo-hime did her best to be careful with her actions as not to anger her parents. Of course, just like in Cinderella's story, a prince comes to take her away from the place but in this story, her husband takes revenge on the family that abused the one he loved.

I must have read to her for hours, for when I looked up from the book, the sun was already peeking from the mountains, lighting the early morning sky.

"That's stupid" Rukia-chan scoffed when I finished reading the first half of the story.

"What is?"

"The whole story!" she said exasperatedly, "It's ridiculous!" I closed the book and gave Rukia-chan my full attention. "Look, Orihime, she's the daughter of a noble, she's practically a princess and yet she lets that hag of a stepmother of hers torture and humiliate her. Why, if I were in her place I'd give her a piece of my mind – and probably my fist as well" she explained.

True enough, Lady Ochikubo should have stood up for herself but for someone who was in the mercy of others and for a girl who is being maltreated by the ones she considered her family, it was easy to say but very difficult to do. "But that's her family, Rukia-chan" I voiced out, "she still loved her family even though they treated her badly"

"Yeah but that's not her family! Families don't hurt each other. Her parents shouldn't hurt her because parents should love their children"

I paused at her statement. Families don't hurt their members. Parents always love their children. I wanted to laugh and at the same time cry because that was true, that's how it should be. But not for us, not for my family.

"No" I whispered, "Sometimes parents don't love their children" I remember the feeling of being beaten up for simply being existing, I remember it so vividly that my body hurt, like the bruises were still there. And so I wrapped my arms around myself, willing my body to stop trembling.

There must have been a strange look in my eyes as I said these words because for some odd reason, Rukia-chan looked as though she knew the experiences I had behind my claim. As though without having to even tell her, she knew how my father treated me, how my mother looked at me, and she looked almost pitifully at me.

"I'm sorry" she mumbled. There was an awkward pause for the longest time and it was starting to make me feel nervous. Then finally, Rukia-chan let out a deep sigh. "I didn't know if parents really loved their children because I never had ones to begin with" she said, looking away from me.

Now that shocked me and it suddenly dawned upon me that the reason why Rukia-chan used to be a pickpocket was because she had no parents, she had no family and she did it in order to survive. I wanted to slap myself silly. How could I have been so insensitive? Even though my parents often were not so good to me, at least I had parents. I could at least call our little dysfunctional unit, a family. And here I was complaining about it when Rukia-chan didn't even have one.

She must have read what I was thinking because she let out a hearty laugh and said "Don't be stupid. I don't feel bad for not having something that I don't think I even need. Besides I'd rather have been an orphan than experience whatever suffering you faced from your parents" she placed her small hand on my shoulder, offering me her sympathy. She smiled at me a little, the corners of her mouth lifting to somehow tell me that things are okay, that she was, in her own way, offering me solace.

"Now get some sleep" she pushed me down onto my futon, "get those depressing thoughts about family and parents outta your head and rest" she hit me playfully on the head. She then proceeded to lay on her own futon. "Ba-chan's gonna beat the living daylights outta us if she finds us sleeping in" she added. We pulled the covers over ourselves and faced each other. I smiled sleepily at her and she just chuckled, a silent companionship wrapping around us.

And for the first time, she slept beside me.

~.~.~.~.~

One afternoon, right after we got home from school, Mother angrily greeted us. "What the hell is this?!" she threw a piece of parchment at Rukia-chan's feet. It looked like a letter but from whom it was, we had no idea.

Ikumi-san picked the paper up and read it. I watched as her eyes widened in horror of what was written on it. Before Ikumi-san could even react, Mother had pulled Rukia-chan and had her kneel in front of her. "It is such a disgrace to this Okiya that you are performing so poorly in school!" Mother roared. "How is it even possible for a 9 year old who is from the city to not know how to read? Hell, even Orihime who's from a shit hole can read!" I flinch at her harsh choice of words but I was more worried about Rukia-chan.

Rukia-chan was always in trouble but never to the point that mother was shouting at her like this. Mother was never so angry at Rukia-chan as she was now. And I was truly frightened for Rukia-chan

"She's not 9 years old, Aneue" Ikumi-san's voice was grave. She sounded like she did not really want to tell Mother but she had no choice. "Rukia is twelve years old, she's just small and too thin for her age that's why she looks like a 9 year old"

The room became deafeningly quiet. No one dared to speak for a full minute. Mother's mouth hung open, and for once, Mother was speechless. But what caught my attention and alarmed me, more than Mother running out of words, were the tears that spilled from my friend's eyes. Liquefied droplets of frustration and humiliation running down her cheeks and wetting her clenched fists.

Rukia-chan did not say a word the whole afternoon. She did not so much as glance at anyone. She buried herself in house work, shouldering even the heaviest of chores just to distract herself.

I felt bad for Rukia-chan. I had a brother who taught me how to read and write but she had no one. She had to rely on herself for her to survive and when you are a child left to fend for yourself, learning to read and write are the least of your problems.

That night, I approached Rukia-chan. I knew she did not want to talk about the incident earlier but I just felt that I would die if I did not tell her. "Rukia-chan would you like me to teach you how to read?" I offered her tentatively.

The fury in her eyes should have made me turn around and just leave her be but I knew in my heart that if I did so I would not be able to sleep at tonight or any night. If I know I can do something to help her, then I would, even if she doesn't want me to.

"I don't want your pity!" she snarled at me, "I don't care if you think I'm stupid, I don't need your help!"

Tears swam in her eyes and I knew she was fighting hard so they would not fall. It must have been very embarrassing for her to be unable to read and write when she was three years older than us and I understood that, which was why I waited for her to calm down before I spoke.

"I don't pity you Rukia-chan" I said softly, "And I most definitely do not think you are stupid." I looked her straight in the eyes so that she would know that I was sincere. "I know you're a very smart person, it's just that no one taught you how to read, that's why I want to teach you." I said.

She stared at me, tears mid-fall. Maybe that was the first time someone offered to help her. I neared her and wiped the wetness of her face. "So that no one can ever call you stupid again" I told her. I was hoping to comfort her but instead, Rukia-chan started to cry, harder this time. What was a nine year old to do but to hug her as tightly as I possibly can? And when she settled down, I rushed down to Momo-oneechan's room to borrow some ink and a brush and grabbed a few performance posters that Ikumi-san was about to throw out.

"Here" I laid the poster down in front of Rukia-chan and using the back of it, I wrote "あ", the hiragana for "A". "The sound for this symbol is 'ah'" I told her.

She scrunched her face at the character I've written then looked up at me questioningly. I lifted my brow at her, urging her to repeat the sound. "What? You want me to say it too?" she snorted.

"How will you learn if you don't repeat what I say?"

She seemed to have realized my point for she hesitantly grumbled "ah", much to my pleasure. I showed her the strokes to write "あ", step by step, just like how Onii-chan taught me how to read and write.

A few weeks later, Rukia-chan was reading and writing simple sentences.

~.~.~.~.~

"Psssst" a hissing sound came from the hallway, "Oi Orihime!" I immediately recognized Rukia-chan's voice calling out to me in a hushed tone.

"What is it?" I inquired, I was in the middle of folding some kimono. In the year that passed, my bond with Rukia-chan had grown stronger and now we talk about anything and everything.

Rukia-chan closed the sliding door and beamed at me, "I have something to show you" she said.

"Can it wait? I'm not yet done here" I motioned to the dozens of silk kimono Ikumi-san asked me to fold and put away. She specifically told me to be careful with them because they were expensive, worth much more than my life, or so she said. But of course, knowing Rukia-chan, she did not heed my words, instead, she grabbed my wrist and dragged me out of the room, out of the house and into the streets of Karakura.

"Wait Rukia-chan!" I protested. She was so much faster than I and I was having a very difficult time catching up with her because my geta was falling off. "Slow down Rukia-chan!" I begged.

She made a sharp turn when we reached the center of town. Men and women bustling around, never even noticing the two small girls who made clouds of dusts with how fast they were running. Just then, Rukia-chan stopped right in front of a western style building, the large expanse of the territory bordered with pointy metal fences.

"Kochi Kochi! Over here!" my raven haired friend urged me to follow. She was crawling beneath the bushed that lined the fences where there was a small hole. Rukia-chan crept in and I instantly felt nervous. First and foremost, the estate was owned by a foreign business man and at that time, 10 year old paranoia had me imagining the worst possible consequences. Secondly, we were to lie on our belly and crawl inside the hole. Surely, it would get mud stains on our yukata and if there was one thing Ikumi-san despised, it was mud stains on dirty little girls.

"Rukia-chan you musn't!" I cried but she was already inside. I looked around apprehensively but no one was there. "Rukia-chan!" I whined as I scuttled into the hole. "We can't be here!" I griped as Rukia-chan pulled me up, "Oba-san will not be happy to see us all di-"

The words faded when I caught sight of the beautiful scenery before me.

It was a garden. A magnificent garden filled with pink flowers that I have never seen before. I may just be exaggerating but the garden was so immense that I could not even see the end of it. I would come to know that these flowers were called "Roses", gorgeous blossoms that were not native to my country.

"Close your mouth" Rukia-chan snickered, tapping my chin to force it shut. But as she did so, I grasped her hand and ran towards the bushes of roses. I squealed, the fear of being caught having left me completely and all I could hear was my giggles and Rukia-chan chuckling behind me.

"What do you think they are called?" I asked but she just shrugged her shoulders. The color was so peculiar. It was like the color of Sakura petals but richer in pigment and a little darker. Of course, now that I am older and have travelled the world, I know that that color is called pink. But for 10 year old Orihime, I did not now that then and we did not exactly have a word for pink. Only 'momoiro' which was peach or rather a peach like color.

I leaned in to get a whiff of the outlandish flower and to my surprise, it had such a strong fragrance. "Rukia-chan even the smell is foreign!" I laughed and she just smiled at me.

"But it has such a strange color" she commented, "I've never seen it before"

"Yes" I agreed enthusiastically, "It is like the color of the sky when the sun had just come up and illuminates the horizon" I blurt out.

Rukia-chan's brows creased, eying me strangely, bewildered at the words that just sprout out of my mouth. "You weird little thing" she chortled, "you have a way with words" she smiled at me, the kind of smile you give to a very dear friend.

At that very moment, I realized that I had not let go of Rukia-chan's hand yet she did not seem to mind. We held hands as we explored the garden. I wanted to ask why she brought me here, but that would be pointless because I already knew the answer. She did not have to say anything, I already understood. Remember when I said that Rukia-chan liked to keep to herself and was not good at expressing herself? Well actions were how she liked to communicated and bringing me here was a show of gratitude – for what exactly, I was not sure. Maybe it was for teaching her how to read, maybe it was for offering her my friendship. It did not matter because all I knew was that she was thanking me and telling me that she trusted me and that she too acknowledged me as a friend.

You could imagine what happened next. We got caught of course and were handed over to Oba-san in a state that horrified her to the bone. But all the scolding and 10 lashes to the bum making it so sore that that I could hardly sit for days, was worth it, if only for a few moments in that rose garden.

And even now, when I see lovely pink roses, I am taken back to the time when I was a child, the moment I gained not only a lifelong friend but also a sister.

And she would lead me to the person who would become the most important person in my life.

Thank you so much to:

yoruyoseihime, guest-sans, the boulevard, 1ACE1, Livingdeadclaire, sunflowerspot, and Sele de la Luna.

yoruyoseihime - yes I do agree that there is a lack of dark fics in this fandom and so I must contribute :)

1ACE1 - ah I am so flattered by your words! I'm so relieved that this fic did not turn out to be annoying because of my choice of point of view. And yes reader-sama, this is an Ichihime fanfic but with lots and lots and lots and I am telling you lots of twists

Author's Note:

Please excuse all the typos and errors, I didn't quite have the time to read through (gomen!)

Anyway, I am not entirely sure about the roses but according to the my landlady here in Japan, her grandmother said that the first time she saw roses was when westerners came with them. And according to history, Japan only became open to foreigners in the middle of the 1800, during their Industrial Revolution.

I hope you liked this chapter. Please do review and I will see you guys in the next chapter :)

~Ashe